Since aid deliveries began on October 20, trucks entering Gaza from Egypt have had to pass south from Rafah to undergo inspection at the Al-Awja/Nitsana crossing on the Egyptian border with Israel, a process that has caused bottlenecks and delays.
Relief officials say the use of the Kerem Shalom crossing, located on the border between Israel, Gaza and Egypt about three kilometers from Rafah, would allow more trucks to be handled, including some that will come from Jordan for the first time since the war in Gaza began. .
As the humanitarian situation in Gaza worsens, the United Nations is pressuring Israel to allow trucks to enter the Strip directly from the Kerem Shalom crossing, saying this will make a difference.
Diplomats say that Israel, which fears that Hamas will benefit from the entry of these supplies, has so far refused to take such a step.
Khaled Zayed, head of the Red Crescent branch in North Sinai, Egypt, said that the trucks sent to Kerem Shalom included medicines, medical supplies, food, drinking water, and baby formula.
Zayed added that 100 other trucks were sent to the Al-Awja/Nitsana crossing.
Since the collapse of the truce on December 1, the number of aid trucks entering Gaza daily has decreased to about 100. According to the United Nations, approximately 500 trucks were entering the Strip daily before the war, 60 percent of which passed through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Aid distribution operations inside Gaza were disrupted due to a shortage of trucks and fuel, a telecommunications outage, and the Israeli military operation.
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